We Keep on Living
by kristenell
Summary: Van drags Hitomi to Gaea in the middle of the night to answer a question that long she had long since forgotten. COMPLETE


We Keep Living  
By Qwertyuiop  
Disclaimer: Escaflowne belongs to Shoji Kawamori and the people at Bandai and Sunrise. Not me.  
Author's Notes: This was written for insertphrase over on LJ, so it is a bit short, but I like it. It is also the first real piece of fanfiction I have done in half a year. Feedback is welcome

"You are insane, you know that right?"Van turned his eyes from the top of the hill and looked back at Hitomi, who was a few feet below him tiredly trying to catch up.

"Why? You have been through much worse than this hill," Van said gruffly.

"Well, last time I did a hill this steep I had a full night's sleep. But this time you woke me up in the middle of the night to take me to God only knows where," Hitomi said.

"You didn't have to come. And besides, I didn't know it was the middle of the night where you are."

"Didn't have to? You were the one who came in and practically kicked me out of my bed and told me to follow you, you didn't really give me the chance," she said, "besides, it has been a while since you last visited me, and I was sort of afraid not seeing you again."

His expression softened.

"I am sorry; things have been really hectic the past few weeks. I would have come for you sooner..."

She now stood next to him and sighed.

"It's okay, I understand. You are a king, and I was just being a little selfish," Hitomi said, "it isn't like I expect to see you everyday."

They began to head up the hill again, Van now making sure to keep a slower pace.

"Van, just where are we going anyways?" Hitomi asked.

"I will tell you when we get there. It is a surprise," he said.

"I didn't know you were one for surprises."

He pondered this a moment but then shrugged.

"I usually don't like them, but I don't want to spoil this."

They walked in silence for awhile until Van finally stopped, causing Hitomi to almost smash straight into his back.

"Geez, Van, you could have at least given me warning before you..."

"We're here," Van said.

Hitomi looked ahead, and saw that they had ended up at the edge of the cliffs that surrounded Fanelia.

"Van? What is this? We are in the middle of nowhere. You brought me out of bed to see a bunch of rocks?" Hitomi asked incredulously, and turned to head back to the Palace.

"Remember that time you asked me about what Folken and I did when we were younger?" Van said.

Hitomi stopped and turned to him.

"Yes, you blew me off," she said, "I thought you hated me."

"I was startled when you asked me before, but I want to answer it now," he said.

"Did you and Folken come here when you were little," she asked.

"If you look up you can see a cave, Folken flew me up there when I was young and he would show me things about different plants and tell me stories about the dragons that lived in the area," Van said, his voice was somewhat distant, as if he was once again in that cave with his brother.

Hitomi looked up and indeed halfway up the cliff was a cave, barely visible amidst the jutting sides of the cliff.

"Truth be told, I much preferred the stories about the dragons," Van said with a small smile.

Hitomi smiled, it was rare when Van showed this side to him. She suspected the only person he would share something like this would be Merle.

"Van, take me up there," she said softly. It was soft, but still said with a gentle force.

"Not just a bunch of rocks now, is it?"

She shook her head.

"I want to see it," she said.

He nodded, and pulled his white shirt over his head, and in one fluid movement large white wings burst forth from his back. He walked over to Hitomi and wrapped his arms firmly around her wrists, and she did this same around his neck. Soon she could no longer feel the ground beneath her feet, as he lifted them up into the air.

It did not take long for them to reach the cave, and once Van's wings disappeared leaving only a few fluttering feathers, Hitomi ventured inward.

There wasn't really anything distinctive about the cave, just rugged walls and dirt. Although there were assort sticks, and burn marks to show where once perhaps a fire had been built.

"A lot of the time we would come late at night, where we wouldn't be missed," Van said, answering Hitomi's unanswered question.

She knelt at the spot and drew her finger across the sand. She could almost see them. Van, young and wide eyed, staring up adoringly as Folken went on about dragons and plants. She smiled.

"You miss him," she said, looking up at him, and gave him a smile when he nodded. "I do too, I didn't know him for that long, but I cared about him. He really wanted a better world. For you."

It had been Folken who had helped her stop Dornkirk's machine. It had been Folken who helped her sort through her conflicting emotions and feelings.

"Did he say anything, you know when he died?" Van asked, breaking the silence.

"I didn't hear anything," she said, "but to tell you the truth I was in shock, and wasn't hearing much of anything. If I had been more aware, I might not have..."

She stood up and felt Van place a hand on her back.

"It's over," he said.

"It's been six months. Six months since Folken died, since I went home. It all seems so long ago," she said, "almost distant, and so much has changed."

Van nodded in silent agreement.

"But," she said, "things are better now, aren't they?"

"Yes," he said, "Folken's wish has come true."

Hitomi nodded with renewed enthusiasm.

"Fanelia is beautiful," she said, "and Merle and everyone else seems happy. I don't think we should be that depressed over Folken. He gave his life for this, to mope about him, would just be offensive to his sacrifice. Besides, we still have each other."

"We do," Van said, "we always will, isn't that our promise?"

Hitomi nodded.

"The only one we will ever need," she said.

An idea suddenly sprung into her mind, and Hitomi's face lighted up in excitement. She turned from Van and knelt down, felt around the ground until she finally found a sharp piece of rock and she walked over to the end wall of the cave. She began to forcefully grind the rock against the side of the cave.

"Hitomi, what are you doing?" Van asked.

"I am leaving a marker, to show that we have been here," she said, "come, help me."

He cautiously knelt besides her, took up a rock, and mimicked her movements along beside her. They worked diligently until finally Hitomi placed her stone down and gazed at the wall with pride. Van stopped, and wiped the sweat away from his forehead.

"Now this place belongs to us," Hitomi said, "and this will stand here as a test of that."

He nodded and gazed at the wall. In writing that if written on paper would appear to be childish, read simply: "For Folken, whose wish we keep living." Following that was their names and the date.

"A fitting tribute, if I do say so myself," Hitomi said.

"Yes, I think he would like this," Van replied.

He looked towards the entrance, and could see the sun begin to set against the sky.

"It is almost time for you to go back," he said.

She nodded.

"It isn't the end though," she said as she headed to the entrance, "it never will be as long as we remember."

They walked to the edge, and Hitomi looked down.

"You first," she said to him.

"No," he said, and she looked to him startled.

"Van, you are the one who can fly, not me," she said.

"No, I mean we should go together," he said.

She smiled and took his hand. She loved him.

"On the count of three," she said.

She always would.

"One."

Even if she never saw him again.

"Two."

Even if she met someone else.

"Three."

She would love him forever.

"Go!"

And together with their hands clasped, they shut their eyes, leaned forward, and began to fall.


End file.
